


Mended Morals

by Somecallmemichelle



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Crush, F/M, Gen, Guilt, Love, Predator/Prey, Regret, change, fixed, improved, improving one self, nick wilde centered, repaired, wildehopps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 15:57:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8898247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Somecallmemichelle/pseuds/Somecallmemichelle
Summary: Wilde is, as he would describe himself, an "entrepreneur",  if you know the right mammal, and you need something very specific, he has the means to get it. Be it gazelle, zebra, or bunny, he can get it. He does what he does, and he doesn't bother thinking about the lives lost to fulfill his business.But a chance glance at Judy Hopps, a random bunny which just so happened to pass near one of his alleyways one day, changes everything. And a broken moral clock and heart, might very well get mended.





	

The first time Wilde saw her he was quick to dismiss the feelings that seemingly took hold of him. He was a professional! A smooth con fox, a king among those with whom he practiced his craft.

 

Though those who asked received the same sort of non answer, to the question. What could they expect when they asked him what was his job? What he did for a living? But those who needed his services...and they were plentiful, could always reach through him,  if they knew the right animal, or more concretely the right mammal. Good things did indeed come in small packages.   
  
Though Wilde was small and scruffy for a fox, she was smaller, and, he had to admit, that gave him a rush. A rush he quickly pushed to the back of his mind. His job being the more important thing to do at the moment. Standing in the alleys and cornerways, awaiting customers.

 

He sold her kind! Well, not alive, he wasn’t some sort of monster, but he sold the kind of dead prey meat that was illegal to sell. But then, he justified himself by saying fish could be sold without an issue. So why would he judge those who choose not to repress their ancestor’s hunting instincts? He personally did not indulge...Foxes could sustain on fruit and berries. But he knew those who did.   
  
But that night he had a hard time justifying his line of work to himself, as he thought back to the way she seemingly hopped. It had been but a glance. The bunny with the shapely hips (which made her undoubtedly a female), her legs rapidly shaping themselves as she jumped, probably to somewhere important, judging by her speed.

  
At the dead of the night, without any work to distract him, Nick found himself wondering if he was going to meet with a potential mate. And that bothered him, somehow.

 

After a conflicted day of work, where he gulped every time he stared at the contents of his packages, or smelled them, since they were a tentation, a night of drinking made him forget all but the need for one more drink. He had a feeling if he saw that bunny now, he would probably try to pull a move. Which only meant he had to drink more. He was just drunk enough he was aware of his action. By the early morning he wanted to be blackout drunk.

 

But if there is one thing about guilt is that it chases the mammal who committed the act. He would, as he woke up, curse the bunny, and the feelings of dread for the day (or evening, he had slept a lot), of work he had upon him.

 

He had been cold and merciless, always pushing the others away, they didn’t need to know...or care...well, they didn’t need to hear about his childhood. Like that would justify what he was doing. His humiliation, his lack of money, his...not so very happy childhood. Leaving home early…

  
Well, if the predator got into this line of business they surely had a story upon them, nobody could be so cruel as to sell their other individual, without some sort of life altering fact, for Nick that fact had removed him of his compassion. Or so he had thought. And now that bunny had seemingly activated all of those things he had buried inside of him, care for the other…   
  
He now found himself sickened by the mere contents of his packages, not only dreadful, he looked at them,  and at the customer, who asked him for the “thing” or the “stuff”, and what did he do? He handed it, no word, but inside he couldn’t help but want to spit at the animal.   
  
Animals that ate meat, even if prey meat, weren’t really to messed up with. Sure, he could trick them, he was very cunning, but in a claw to claw, or paw to paw fight, he didn’t really have a chance.   
  
And how would he explain why he stopped to his superiors? To his bosses? Try as he might, he recognised the thunderous feeling that was pushing into him like the blade that cut deep into the meat of the prey he would eventually sell.  They surely would have a replay ready.

  
“I feel guilty” - Well he never had, before, so...and they’d just laugh if he revealed he was crushing on prey. Crushing, he never even got the meaning of that word before. But now, with the guilt, and the way his chest seemed to collapse when he thought about her, he sure did.   
  
He had nightmares at night, about them catching her and he inadvertently selling her. A frikkin look, a microsecond of eye contact, that had all thtat had taken. He didn’t know a name, he didn’t know a living place (nor should he, he wouldn’t creep on her), he didn’t know a profession. But he had been taken in.

 

The second time he saw her, different alleyway, she appearing to scoop  at his heart, the sun carrying onto her fur, giving in the details he had previously missed. The twitch of the ears and nose, the wide smile,  the way she carried something - was that a pen? A carrot shaped one? He couldn’t help but smile at that. - He literally dropped the package he had in his hand.

 

He hesitated. He knew his way in and around the city, he could probably drop his supplies and get to her, not to follow her and see what it was that she would be doing, but to approach her. He felt awful, and immensely curious, so maybe talking to her would help. Whatever his decision he had to be quick.

  
He could probably have turned his head, leaving her to catch his tail if she were to send an eyeful to him. He could have probably forgotten all about this “crush on a prey business”. He had never felt that way about anyway...but then with how he pushed the other animals away...he hadn’t really gotten a chance to.

 

In the end the decision was easy, Wilde dropped everything and all that he held (except the cash, always keep your earnings with you, he had learned), and ran. He tried taking different streets, and every time he caught a glimpse of her crossing into another one, he cut through. He wanted to give her no reason to question his behavior.

  
In the end it turned out to all be from nothing, she stopped, in the middle of the street,  Nick’s eyes focused so heavily on her he couldn’t even tell what Biome in. And she turned to him.

  
“Are you, by any chance following me?” - Her eyes cast accusatory glances and that voice...Wilde had often wondered how it sounded, but, sweet as it might be, and a melody to his ears, it was still annoyed at him. Wilde put a hand to his head fur, smiling a coy smile, time for a little Wilde magic.

 

The same way he guaranteed it was actually gazelle meat when it was Yack, a much cheaper meat, since most of them spent their time smoking the herbs, he would convince her otherwise.   
  
“No, just happened to stumble into you, bunny.”

 

She frowned, her nose twitching as she did so.   
  
“Through 5 streets? That’s cute and all. But I could call the authorities on you.”

 

Nick had though of as himself as perfectly stealthy, nobody could have found out about him, but apparently this bunny, she was so much more observant than any other prey.

 

“I’m sorry” - He decided perhaps a bit of honesty would be a good idea, though not the full truth, the one that could land him in jail. - “I just found myself dazzled over your beauty…”

 

“So you followed me...like you were hunting me.”   
  
_ Fitting _ , he thought, as he considered what he did for a living.

 

“Look, obviously we got started on the wrong paw, so why not let me? I’m W -Nick” - It was the first time he had used his first name in a while, and he himself didn’t know why he had done it, except that it felt right. - “What’s yours?

 

She seemed curious, and a bit taken aback, but whatever reservations she may have had were quickly forgotten.

 

“That is for me to know, now if you’ll excuse me -”

 

“No, no! Look I’m sorry. The truth is, you may have changed me for the better.” - She looked incredulous, and he knew why, for all she knew, they had only met for a few minutes. - “I saw you the other day...and you  made me think about...my lifechoices.” - There it was as close as he could risk to the truth without revealing the grimmy details.

 

“Charming” - The sarcasm was obvious, and Nick felt it sting him. - “Now, if you’d please…”

Nick felt a  pang at the back of his throat. And he understood it was frustration and fear, fear that he would scare her away. - Was this what prey felt?

 

“Please, look I was a broken cub, a real bad fox, and now...now I don’t know what I am, but I think you might have fixed me.” - He stared at the ground, having teared his heart out in the street for her to see. It was cold, maybe he was in the tundra biome? But he didn’t care for it. He had a feeling if he got rejected now, he would shut down his feelings even more. Like his bosses. He already a lot to reply about for leaving the meat out, how would he do now?”

 

“The name’s Judy…” - She said, and he realised she was staring at him with an air of kindness. “Judy Hopps, now, I’m interested in how I changed your life, why don’t you tell me about it over a few drinks?”

 

Maybe she was just curious, but Nick couldn’t help but smile like he hadn’t since he was very young. He couldn’t reveal the full truth obviously, but he could try and share his feelings. Like he hadn’t done in a long time.   
  
He was finally repaired.

  
  
  
  


  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I literally wrote this in 20 minutes, while listening to some random stuff I had on my phone. I could say that it was "Try everything" but it truly wasn't. So I guess I should thank Pretty_Ok who I teased with a completely different pair (one that is literally the opposite of this one), all the while, the idea for this fanfic shaped itself in my head.
> 
> I'm on tumblr at (http://somecallmemichelle.tumblr.com/), i sometimes share my (not so very good) attempts at art, and some threads from stories that were, or that are to be. Or even alternate drafts of stories I ended up posting. But I've plugged my stuff enough. I hope you have a good day/evening/night and thank you for reading once more.


End file.
